Tag.



W. A. WARD.

TAG.

APPLIOATION FILED MABJS, 1912.

Patented Feb. 11, 1913.

'ran STATES PATENT onirica.

WILLIAM A WARD, or' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNoR To AMERICAN TAC COMPANY,

or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or- ILLINOIS.

TAG.

To alt whom t may Concern Be it lmown that I, WILLIAMALWARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tags, of which the following is a specication.

MyJ invention relates to improvements 1n the construction, more especially, of cardboard tags for identification, by suitable marks upon them, of articles to which they are attached.y

I have devised my present improvement for a particular use, though it is not my intention to be understood from the description hereinafter contained, which is confined to that use, as meaning to limit it thereto. 'Iheparticular use referred to is that of identifyingtags for cotton bales.

It is the common ractice when cotton has been ginned and bald to attach to each bale a tag bearin a number, and any desired additional mar s, such as the name of t-he consignor, whereby the bale may be identiied for all purposes by it-s number. As the bales in many cases are subjected to frequent shifting about and are often exposed for a long time to the weather/and other conditions tending to subject the tags to mutilation which vdestroy their identifying purpose, much annoyance has been caused in the past by the tearing oif or mutilation of the tags, or the obliteration 4of the marks theref on, making it ditlicult, and in cases even impossible, to identify the bales.

In carrying out my invention, in the way now .preferred by me.I provide a tag, preferably of the usual reasonably tough cardboard, with the identifying mark, or marks, printed in large characters on an exposed front surface, and a duplicate of the mark printed in smaller characters centrallyy and near the attaching end of the tag. Secured are companion reinforcing strips of paper or cloth, one of lwhich covers and shields the duplicatevmark. The tying means for the tag is formed, preferably, of stout. copper wire which is secured to the tag in a manner to extend longitudinally over the reinforcing strip which shieldsthe duplicate mark, thereby forming a protection for'said strip.

end portion, and the strip which covers the 'duplicate mark is preferably sufficiently waterproof to protect said mark againsty damage by water. Rough handling of the bale, or other causes which tend to tear or injure the tag, or obliterate the exposed printed marks thereon, will not injure the section of the t-ag which is reinforced as stated; yand 'wheneverthe originally exposed marks are destroyed from any'cause, the shielding strip for the duplicate mark may be removed to expose t-he said mark for identification of the bale.

Referring to the accompanying drawing: Figure l is a face view of a car -board tag of the type usually employed lfor cotton bales and provided with my improvementsg,y Fig. 2, a similar view with part broken away to show the construction and with the dupli- -cate-mark'shielding-strip turned out of the way to expose said mark; and Fig. 3, a broken exaggerated section taken on line 3 in Fig. 1.

The cotton bale tag Llis of the usual tough flexible card-board, having an identifying number 912 in the present illustration) printed in large type uponits exposed face and also upon a coupon portion 5 of the tag. A duplicate ofthe identifying number is printed in small type near the attaching4 jend and centrally of the tag, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The space 6 of the tag which is shown blank in the drawing may contain rinted matter, such as the name and addgess of the owner, Consignes or consignor of the-bale, and the same mat- `ter may be printed in small type closely adjacent to the said duplicate identifying number. Extending from the attaching end centrally and part way along the body ofthe tagl arereinforcing strips 7 yand 8, which arepreferably of tough card-board, and are preferably oiled to render them in a large measure waterproof. The strip 8 is cemented in place throughout. Interposed between the strip 7 and the printed face of the tag which it covers is a strip 9, preferably of paratfined paper, sothat-in the cement-ing of the' strlp 7 in place it adheres around or at opposite sides only of the Specification of Letters Patent'.l y Patented Feb, 11, 1913 Application filed March- 18, 1912. Serial No. 684,464. I

sol

space occupied by the said duplicate mark.

Extending through the body of the tag and reinforcing strips lare `eyelets 1'0 and 11 -tov receive the preferably copper tying-wire 12, which'is fastened thereto, as illustrated so CTI 'mark be obliterated or lost by the tearing of the tag, the identity of the bale may be Vdiscovered by severing or removing the wire 12, cutting the stri 7 at the mark 13 and passing a' sharp blae beneath the said strip to separate it from the body of the tag, as illustrated in Fig. 2. This exposes vthe duplicate identifying mark.

The foregoing description is intended toJ convey. a clear understanding of my 'improvements in what I now believe to be the best form of their embodiment, and no unduel limitation should be understood therefrom. It is my intention to claim all that is novel in my invention and that the claims shall be construed as broadly as the prior state of thel art may warrant.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In combination with a tag provided with an identifying mark on an exposed surface and with a duplicate of saidv mark, a reinforcing strip fastened to the tag to cover and shield said duplicate mark, and tying means strung through' the tag to extend over said strip.

2. In combination with a tag provided with an identifying mark on an exposed surface and with a duplicate of said mark, a reinforcing strip cemented to the tag to cover and shield said duplicate mark, a protecting strip interposed between said reinforcing strip and said duplicate mark, the said 'strip being of a width sufficient to prevent the adhesion of the cement on the reinforcing stri. to that portion of the tag bearing said duplicate mark, and tying means' strung through -the tag to extend over said strips.

WILLIAM A. WARD.

In presence of- R. A. SGHAEFER, NELLE B. DEARBORN. 

